


Season Greetings

by sofiathefool



Series: The Story of a Former Technician and a YouTuber [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 7k, Active narrator, But it was inspired by Christmas tales anyway, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Fluff, Happy, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, M/M, No Angst, No Smut, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Omniscient, Season Greeting, Swearing, Well not really the A Christmas Carol, dan learns to love christmas, present narrator, unitedstatesofparadise, unitedstatesofphatasia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 07:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5530637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofiathefool/pseuds/sofiathefool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Bad Day's Power Play" - Second installment of "The Story Of A Former Technician And A Youtuber" series - Can be read independently</p><p>Dan Howell used to not really enjoy Christmas, at all, but he never really figured out why.<br/>It is 2016 and Phil Lester, his boyfriend, tries to convert Dan to a lover of this season.</p><p>*The only thing you might need to aware of whilst reading is that there are a few sexual references here and there, like talking about sex toys, but other than that, this fic is completely safe. Oh, there are also a few swear words.*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Season Greetings

 

The night was dark but it was not full of terrors. In fact, wherever one went, the night was illuminated by tiny, coloured lights strategically placed on trees, buildings, balustrades and rails. Despite their intensity not being the strongest, all of them together transmitted the passerby a sense of security and wonderment. A haze of happiness and excitement for what was to come. And, as if the lights were not enough, wherever one looked, one would find some kind of ornament which would not be a normal sight had it been another time of the year: huge trees – spruces, to be more specific – illuminated by snowflake-shaped fairy lights and adorned by metallic tinsel, as well as Bordeaux baubles with golden patterns; snow speckled sleighs with crafted reindeer attached to them; elves walking around with their green outfits, tall hats, and striped socks; the scent of mulled wine, freshly baked mince pies, and the fumes of the remaining chestnuts of the year being roasted fusing with the sharpness of the cold winter breeze.

 

It was Christmas time, and London had truly embraced the season with all its heart. Yet, however much the city decorated, not all Londoners took the advent of the season easily. This wide array of people could go from rude costumers who yelled at employees due to the queues being too long, to Scrooges glaring at the Christmas choirs scattered all around the city, their hands closed tightly inside the warm pockets of their overcoats, their lips pursed and their brows furrowed.

 

It truly was a time which sparked different emotions in different people. For example, in a house of three, one of them could be overjoyed with the coming of Christmas, the other annoyed at the over-commercialization of said time, and the other depressed for some personal reason, like the death of a relative during the holidays or not being able to spend them with their family. Any reason could suffice.

 

Furthermore, Christmas was also a time for change; people who had loved Christmas since their childhoods could suddenly grow to ignore or despise the season, as well as people who tended to hate the season could suddenly start to enjoy it more and more.

 

These changes often were influenced by people important to the victim of such alterations, for example, family and friends, or lovers and spouses. The family, who called the person in question to wish them a “Merry Christmas”, insinuating how wonderful it would be to receive some chocolates, or the friends, who dragged the individual to thematic fairs and ice-skating rings, and who dared to sit on Saint Nic's lap at the shopping centre to take a picture and ask for the Euromillions for Christmas. Or perhaps, lovers who spent hours decorating their home lovingly, wrapping presents and baking Christmas goodies, not being able to help influencing their other half into enjoying this time of the year.

 

Ah, yes, Christmas… What a lovely time!

 

I would really love to narrate to you the thousands of conversion stories which happen to even the most normal of families in London. Sadly, we do not have the time for it! Even I, the narrator, have my own Christmas business to attend to, and what a shame it would be to miss it! I do have a tale to tell, nevertheless, and it is the tale of a magical conversion performed by a dedicated lover to a despiser whom he adored. Maybe magical is not the best term to describe it, though. Perhaps quite manipulative and sexual. Turning, of course, to loving and adorable. Yes, that fits well.

 

Shall I get right into it? Yeah, I think I should… Anyway!

 

It was the night before Christmas, and nobody was quiet.

 

Wait, no, it was not the night before Christmas… It was a week before Christmas! Yes, that's right! How silly of me!

 

It was a week before Christmas, and Dan Howell's apartment was void of the Christmas spirit. No wreaths hanging on his doors, no tinsel framing his windows, not even a tiny spruce hidden in a corner. Nothing at his house offered the briefest glance at anything Christmas related.

 

It was exactly the same as it had been all year round, and Dan Howell was not intending to change it any time soon.

 

On the Sunday before Christmas, Dan was sitting down on his couch with his laptop on his legs, wearing only a pair of boxers underneath his blanket. He was honestly growing annoyed at the irritating Christmas spam he was scrolling past on his Twitter timeline. He knew he could not wager a war against the Christmas-loving spammers, especially because so many of them were his friends and fans, but he could not bring himself to save his mind from the torture of seeing post after post about the 25th of December either. It was a vicious cycle which he was not being able to break. He took to wonder whether he actually was as much of a masochist as his lover perceived him to be.

 

Luckily for him, he had been busy abroad on the year before, which gave him an excuse to not endure obnoxiously long family reunions around a tree which was not meant to be in the middle of a living room to begin with, exchanging presents with fake cheer spread across his face. 2015 had truly been a blessing to him!

 

It was 2016, though, and Dan shivered with the simple mention of Christmas and Boxing Day, which were the days he would spend with his own family and his lover's family.

 

Not wanting to break his façade, Daniel had spent many pounds buying gifts to offer to both families. His luck had been online shopping, otherwise he would have gone insane with long queues and Santa faces everywhere. Thank God for small blessings, am I right?

 

With a grumble and a puff, Dan Howell closed the lid of his computer, settling it by his side not so carefully. He stretched his limbs, groaning, and slumped back on the couch, his body soft and relaxed. His eyes were beginning to flutter shut when, all of a sudden, he heard a knock on his door. He groaned once more and, with a small effort – okay, perhaps a great effort -, he stood up and dragged his bare feet to the door, dropping the blanket sometime along the way.

 

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” shouted Phil Lester, his eyes shimmering brightly with enthusiasm, his smile resembling that of a joyous child. Had Dan not been so startled with the sudden aggression to his ear drums, he would have lost himself in the blue oceans which were his lover's eyes yet again.

 

Oblivious, Phil walked past him to the flat, a plastic bag rustling from behind him. When Dan recovered, he was already going up the steps leading to his office.

 

“Phil, it's the 18th of December, how the hell is that an appropriate greeting?” Dan scolded, closing the door and going after Phil.

 

“Some could argue that Christmas begins when the stores bring out their festive décor, so greeting someone with a “Merry Christmas” would be appropriate all throughout December. But then, there are the Scrooges like yourself who believe no time is an appropriate time to wish a Merry Christmas other than the 24th, the 25th, and, arguably, the 26th,” Phil replied, poking his head through the office at Dan.

 

“By Scrooge do you mean the normal population of England?” Dan countered, crossing his arms and slowly dragging himself up the staircase.

 

“No, by Scrooge I mean the Christmas-haters. Normal people usually start wishing a merry Christmas to people about a week before the actual day.”

 

“Oh, and of course, Phil is oh-so normal,” Dan sassed, pulling strange faces as he spoke. Phil rolled his eyes.

 

“Of course I am. I mean, doesn't every single normal person decorate offices in mere seconds?”

 

“Of course they do..,” Dan grumbled. Then, his eyes widened.

 

“Wait a min- PHIL! Why the hell is there so much glitter on my floor? Do you know how much time it will take me to vacuum clean that shit? And how the hell did you hang so much tinsel already? And what the fuck is that on my desk?”

 

Needless to say, Dan was exasperated. Phil, on the other hand, was quite amused, the bastard.

 

“In case you have never gone outside or looked out your window, that on your desk is a tree. An artificial one, mind you. You'd have left it to die had I chosen a real one. And as for the third question, normal people like myself have super powers when it comes to Christmas decorating.”

 

“Oh, so the norm for people is to have super powers, is it?” Dan inquired, crossing his arms at his chest and raising a sceptical eyebrow. An expression which he wore quite often around Phil.

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

“But having super-powers implies that one is extraordinary. Doesn't that defeat the notion of normality you are trying to defend?”

 

“You truly are a Scrooge, aren't you?” Phil shook his head in disapproval.

 

“I don't know, you tell me,” Dan defied, looking down the bridge of his nose at Phil in a mock defiant posture.

 

“Nah, you are not a Scrooge. All it took to convert him was a few visits from three spirits. You, on the other hand, are beginning to show signs of an irreversible condition. Perhaps you are a Grinch,” Phil responded, crossing his arms at his chest as well and mimicking Dan's expression.

 

Dan smirked. Phil gaped.

 

“Shoot, Grinch learnt his lesson in the end too! I am gonna go with Krampus, then!”

 

“Have you ever even watched the film?”

 

“No, but I have faith that he didn't change his position towards Christmas!”

 

“Speaking of positions, can we change ours?” Dan asked, sliding his right hand up and down his left arm, trying to get some warmth.

 

“But you spent the whole day sitting down!” Phil cried out, growing exasperated himself.

 

“Firstly, how the hell would you know? You weren't here the whole day, Mister! Secondly, I did not mean that we had to sit down, you doofus! I want cuddle with you, or at least hug you. You have not touched me since you arrived, and, honestly, that is very cruel on your part,” Dan accused, sporting a hurt expression.

 

Phil laughed, nearing Dan and pouting.

 

“Aw, boo-hoo, Danny. Do you want to sit on daddy's lap too?”

 

“And there goes all my sex drive. Thank you, Phil!” Dan's fake enthusiasm was evident in his voice.

 

“Oh, come on, everybody loves a little Daddy roleplay. Don't tell me that didn't seduce you!” Phil pushed, smirking to himself as he followed Dan, who had turned around to return to the lounge.

 

“Well, if we follow a rigorous grading of what you said, I'd have to give a zero on the seduction department. To compensate, you had a full mark on the horror and the trauma departments,” he teased.

 

“Don't kink shame me, Daniel! I can say a thing or two about you too!”

 

Dan stopped on his tracks and turned to look at Phil, who had just noticed they were in the lounge already.

 

“Oh, really? Do it, then. Come on,” Dan insisted, looking at Phil in the eye.

 

“For example, the fact that you tell everyone that you can't handle anyone touching your neck because it makes uncomfortable...”

 

Before Dan could react, Phil extended his arm and caressed Dan's neck, sliding his fingers softly down the length. Dan screeched.

 

“…when, in fact, you can't bear it because it is an extremely sensitive erogenous zone of yours.”

 

“Low blow, Phil! Low blow!” Dan complained, sticking his finger in Phil's chest accusingly. “Look at what you've done!” Dan pointed toward his crotch, which showed no signs of anything different. Yet, Phil knew he had turned Dan on.

 

“Shouldn't you be thanking me for returning your sex drive safe and sound?”

 

“My hero..,” Dan huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

 

Phil took a step towards Dan and pushed him down to the couch. He then proceeded to straddle his lap and rest his hands on Dan's chest. Looking Dan in the eye, he bit his lower lip and pulled it, letting it drag against his teeth. Dan let out a tiny moan.

 

“Now we're talking!” Dan murmured, resting his hands on Phil's hips, who sat up on his lap and took off his coat, throwing it aside. Afterwards, he took off his hideous jumper, throwing it aside too and revealing a black undershirt. His hands were back on Dan's chest then, roaming freely.

 

As a reminder of earlier, Phil found Dan's neck with his lips and kissed it. Well, among other things. As he kissed his neck, he noticed Dan's member hardening. He smirked. He placed a final lovebite on Dan's collar bone and slid down his body, kneeling between Dan's legs.

 

Predicting what was to come, Dan's eyes fluttered shut as he rested his head back on the couch. Surprisingly, nothing came.

 

Dan opened one eye, trying to find the reason for the delay, and found nothing more than Phil stood up in the middle of the lounge, looking down at Dan with an amused expression.

 

“What are you doing?” Dan groaned, sitting up lazily.

 

“Presenting you an ultimatum.”

 

Dan's furrowed his brows at that. “What?”

 

“What you heard,” Phil assured, sitting on the armchair behind him. He crossed his legs, his ankle resting on his knee, and his elbows on the arms of the chair.

 

Dan looked like a reindeer blinded by headlights, not knowing where to go or what to do. He leaned forward, towards Phil.

 

“And what is this ultimatum, then?”

 

“You either let me decorate this whole apartment for Christmas and help me wrap the presents you got when they arrive, or I won't fuck you 'til New Year's,” Phil threatened, smirking devilishly. Dan laughed at the silly “ultimatum”.

 

“I can survive a fortnight without being shagged, thank you,” he replied, settling back on the couch comfortably. At least as comfortably as he could, given his cock was still hoping for some action that night.

 

“Well, I'll make it February, then...”

 

“What?! February?!” Dan yelled, his features distorted with shock and terror. He kind of resembled “The Scream” by Edvard Munch that way. The ultimatum wasn't so silly to him anymore.

 

“You can't! I would never last that long!”

 

“I know..,” Phil shrugged, not preoccupied at all. Dan felt his skin crawl. Thankfully, as he was a fast reactor, he did not dwell on it too much and focused on replying.

 

“What if I promise, right now, that I will help you in everything you want me to?”

 

Phil smirked at that.

 

“I'll let you use one of the gifts I got you for Christmas on Christmas night.”

 

“And what is that?” Dan asked, enticed.

 

“A pair of handcuffs and a cock ring.”

 

Dan had definitely perked up at that. Well, not Dan. Little Dan did. If it had a tongue, it definitely would be hanging right then. Perhaps even drooling. What an image...

 

“But pretend you don't know. It's a secret, after all,” Phil winked, pressing his index finger against his lips and shushing his lover. He got up then, heading towards the kitchen.

 

“Do you want anything to eat, love?”

 

Shocked, Dan got up and followed Phil.

 

“Why are you like this?” he complained. Phil laughed.

 

“Well, my mum has always told me that the best ways to manipulate a man is to appeal to his gluttony and to his lust, and I am doing just that,” he replied, more than amused with the situation.

 

“You are evil, Phil Lester!”

 

“I know! But seriously, what do you want to eat?”

 

Feeling somewhat betrayed, Dan kept his promise of helping Phil however he needed, the following days being filled with tinsel, baubles, gingerbread and biscuits. He wanted to complain, he truly did, but he felt that, with each passing day, it became harder and harder for him to utter a single word against Christmas anymore.

 

He didn't know whether it was the addicting scent of the freshly baked Christmas biscuits, or the war they had whilst building the gingerbread house – I think I need not tell you that the house was never built -, or the tinsel stripping – don't ask -, or the fights over the obnoxious, repetitive Christmas music Phil played, or even the arguments over how neatly a gift should be wrapped.

 

“Phil, what the hell is that flap?” Dan would scold, picking the present up and shoving it in Phil's face. How did he have the stomach to offer something so badly wrapped to someone else? Not even the bow was straight!

 

“It's called being original, Dan. Try and mimic that with your perfect little wrappings! Perfection or originality? You choose!”

 

“Jesus Christ...”

 

Perhaps it was not any of that. Perhaps it was all of it. Or, maybe it was something else altogether.

 

Quiçá, Dan was simply warming up to the idea of Christmas. Maybe he found out that, deep within him, he had never hated Christmas at all, he just hated how truly false the Christmases he spent with his family were. Who knows, maybe he found that Christmas is a time that is only well spent with those who really love you and whom you really love, because, if you spend it with people who don't really appreciate you, you won't be able to truly live Christmas at its best.

 

He knew that that logic didn't apply to some families out there, but it definitely applied to his. His parents loved him, his sibling loved him, his grandparents loved him, so a Christmas with them would be lovely. But his family only knows how to have a Christmas if all of them are together, even the people whom he only saw then, once a year, whom he barely knew. Perhaps that's why he had never enjoyed this season: he was forced to socialize by the good manners he was taught to talk to everybody and to pretend to be happy they are there when he couldn't care less.

 

That sounds a bit rude, yes, but it was the truth. He was done with not being truthful.

 

And he figured that's why Christmas with Phil was so lovely: it's not the objects, it's not even the memories they are making, even though they count too, but rather the fact that they love each other unconditionally, that they trust each other, and it makes the celebration of the season suddenly so genuine.

 

That's what had always been missing for Dan: genuineness. Dan could not thank Phil enough for showing him what Christmas truly was like. But he could show his appreciation in another way.

 

When Christmas Eve came, Phil arrived at Dan's flat quite early with his pyjamas and his slippers still on. He brought two bags, one with the clothes he'd need for the following days, and the other with the presents he had gotten for everybody. Not including Dan's, of course, as those were already under his tree.

 

Once he arrived, they dropped his luggage at Dan's room and they went straight to the kitchen to have breakfast and watch anime. Two cups of hot chocolate, two bowls of cereal and three episodes later, the couple was lying down on the couch, cuddled, peacefully watching the show. Phil was playing will Dan's hair, a rare pleasure as he had not straightened it yet, and Dan was playing with the strings from Phil's pyjama pants, pulling them and twirling them around his fingers.

 

They had promised they would stop then, but they kept on watching episode after episode, growing addicted to the whirlwind of emotion that it caused. It was quite rhapsodic. Soon, the sun was not shining so brightly any more, and the moon was beginning to come up in the sky.

 

“Phil, it's nearly 6PM, we can't spend all of Christmas Eve watching anime!” Dan reprimanded. He really wanted to be somewhat productive and enjoy a private Christmas for him and Phil before they headed to the cacophony of their family reunions. Although watching anime all day had been lovely, he really wanted something more.

 

“I actually agree with you. We can finish that some other time. Do you want to start cooking our Christmas supper?” Phil asked, trying to come up with a plan for the evening.

 

“One, I like your use of 'supper'. Two, I don't have anything substantial to eat for Christmas which requires cooking, so we'd have to go to a convenience store to try and get something decent. Three, there are probably no convenience stores open right now. It's Christmas Eve, after all...”

 

“I disagree! There are always some which are open even during Christmas, which, if we think about it, is quite sad. We just have to hurry up and head there as soon as possible.”

 

“Okay, just let me change.”

 

And so they left. When they got back, they were carrying 5 bags in total for everything they needed. They put everything in its rightful place and took to prepare their dinner. It was established that Dan would be responsible for the cooking and Phil would be responsible for the desserts.

 

“Hey, Dan,” Phil called, as he tried to push his fringe away from his eyes with his forearm, “you told me back at the fishmonger that you'd tell me why you preferred cod instead of turkey for Christmas later. Now is later,” he reminded. He truly was curious about Dan's motives.

 

“Well,” he began, “after that vegan experience I made, I took the liberty to watch some documentaries about the meat industry and it put me off meat. I sometimes eat it, but I don't when I can avoid it. I am mostly a pescatarian nowadays. Of course, it's still not the 'ideal' diet, let's say, in comparison to what I did during those months, but this is what I am comfortable with. Also, I remembered when I went to Portugal with my family during a summer, I found out that they are great appreciators of cod fish and have multiple recipes for it. In fact, their traditional dish for Christmas is codfish. Of course, that is just the main one, but many families opt for other dishes. It depends on what has been done in the family for ages. They really hold on to their traditions, for the most part. Basically, diet and curiosity were behind my choice. But if you wanted to have turkey, you could have told me. I wouldn't have minded. It's Christmas after all.”

 

When Dan looked at Phil, who had not been answering for a while, he found sparkling eyes. One could notice that Phil had lost himself along Dan's explanation, simply looking at him in wonderment.

 

“Your Love Eyes Lester is showing, Phil,” Dan laughed, trying to hide his blush. Phil was puzzled.

 

“My what?”

 

“Remember that video we made a few months ago, in which I showed you to my audience, finally?”

 

“Yeah..,” Phil replied, feeling suspicious.

 

“Well, let's say the Phandom, that's what they call themselves now, loved it a lot because they got to see our 'loving expressions of fondness and adoration'. Basically, if I look at you fondly it's Heart Eyes Howell. If you look at me fondly, it's Love Eyes Lester. It's quite funny and cute. Thing is they see it in everything, so it can become a bit annoying, but it's mostly cute.”

 

Phil laughed, bringing his hand to cover his mouth.

 

“I love your audience, I really do,” Phil chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

 

“I know!” Dan exclaimed. “But they don't want to be just my audience anymore, you know?”

 

“What do you mean?” Phil asked, furrowing his brows.

 

“Haven't you noticed that the ratings of your radio show have been going up every week? It's them. They really like you, you know? Many of them have even told me they would love to see you in more of my videos, or that they would love to subscribe to your own channel!”

 

“They want me to become a YouTuber too?” Phil felt at a loss. He had never expected that his impact on Dan's audience would be so great. It made him feel flattered.

 

“Yeah. I honestly would really like it if you did it too. You have the voice, the looks, the personality, the education… I think you could go far, Phil..,” Dan encouraged, smiling warmly at Phil, who was beginning to feel flustered.

 

“Of course, you would never go as far as me,” Dan bragged. “I mean, I am Dan Howell. How can you beat all of this?” Dan gestured down his body and then faked a hair flip.

 

Slightly annoyed, Phil stomped on Dan's foot and slapped his head. Despite the pain, Dan kept on giggling.

 

After that, it didn't take them long to finish their cooking and their baking, and soon, they had finished their dinner and gone to take a bath together. It had been a struggle to fit two tall men who were over 6' tall each inside the tub, but they managed.

 

Later on, they were sitting by Dan's fireplace and the Christmas tree in silence, each with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. Dan looked up at his clock above them, finding out it was half past eleven. He grew anxious, wanting to give Phil his present quite desperately. He bought it for the humour in it, but he was beginning to wonder whether he shouldn't have gotten something more sentimental for Phil. What if Phil had gotten him something extremely sappy and adorable? What would Dan do then? He'd be too embarrassed!

 

Then, he remembered Phil's promise a week before, and his mind was put at ease.

 

“What're you thinking about, Dan? I can hear your gears grinding,” Phil asked, shifting to look at Dan more comfortably.

 

Dan looked at Phil, at his soft expression, with his eyes beginning to show the first signs of tiredness, his subtle smile curving his lips. He thought of how lucky he'd gotten to have someone as amazing as Phil in his life. He didn't deserve such goodness. But there they were, and all he could do was cherish Phil.

 

“Can we give each other our presents? I am getting a bit fidgety..,” he confessed.

 

“Of course we can! Why didn't you ask sooner, silly?” Phil asked, turning to get his package. Dan blushed and crawled to the tree, doing the same. They returned to their places and, nervously, Dan gave Phil his gift, whilst Phil gave Dan his own.

 

“As you are so nervous, open mine up first,” Phil offered. Dan complied.

 

Phil had given him a big, Christmas-y paper bag with it's ends stapled together to avoid having its contents exposed. Dan opened the bag and found two packages inside, one with purple wrapping and another with dark golden wrapping. He went for the purple first, which was quite heavy, and laughed as soon as he got a glimpse of what it was. Phil joined him.

 

Inside, there were two pairs of handcuffs, two cock rings, a small whip and edible underwear.

 

“Is this Christmas gift for me or is it for you?”

 

“Consider it a treat for the both of us,” Phil winked. “Now open the other one!”

 

Now visibly more relaxed, Dan reached for the golden package and noticed it was much lighter than the previous one. Not dwelling on it, he opened it and reached for the gift inside. It was a phone cover, with a black background and a ton of lose, small golden stars. If he shook the cover, the stars would follow.

 

“I love it, but why?” Dan asked as he grinned, curiosity taking over him.

 

“It's a representation of your soul,” Phil replied, pragmatic as ever.

 

“Wow, thanks Phil.”

 

“No need to thank me. Can I open yours up?”

 

“Yeah, go ahead”

 

After what Phil had offered him, Dan was much more relieved. Both of them preferred humour over sappiness, and it made him happy to know they thought alike in this situation. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden laugh, though. Phil had found his gift.

 

“A plushie blobfish, this is amazing! Thank you, Dan!” he laughed, nearly falling backwards. Dan joined him with the laughter.

 

“I guess one could rate this day as a successful Christmas, huh?” Dan commented a few minutes later, smiling.

 

“Yeah, one could. But, do you know what would really make it perfect?”

 

“What?” Dan questioned, not knowing how that Christmas Eve could have been any more perfect.

 

“Getting to use that gift of yours. I mean, you honoured your part of the deal, now it's my turn!” Phil smiled, taking Dan's hand in his own.

 

Dan's smile fell then, and he gulped, trying to get himself together. Not knowing where to begin, he covered Phil's hand with his other one. He sighed, and when he looked back at his lover, he found a confused and slightly worried expression.

 

“I don't want it in those terms. Of course I want to use the gifts, but not today. I don't know whether this will make sense or not, and I don't know why I am reacting this way even, but that 'ultimatum', as you called it, guaranteed me a prize, let's say, if I did what you wanted me to do. But, as time went on, I didn't help you with Christmas because I was looking forward to your promise. I forgot it completely. I did it because I thoroughly, truly enjoyed it. I don't know how you did it, Phil, but you showed me what Christmas truly was like. I never liked it before and never appreciated it because I have never had a truly genuine Christmas. At least not genuine in my own terms, if that makes sense. For my family, it can be a genuine Christmas, but it never was for me. It was not intimate or fun. There was so much stress to get things done in time, and even more after the party was over to get things clean for New Year's. I thought it was too much effort, and that was because I never thought that most of my family truly cared about me. But you do, I know you do, and I do care about you too, a lot, and that fact alone made this last week so much better. Everything was done stress-free, no one got upset, there was love and care… You changed another thing about me, Phil Lester. And I rambled this much just to tell you that I don't want to do it tonight because it would kinda ruin what we had today, you know? Well, perhaps not ruin, bu-” Dan was cut off by a finger being pressed against his lips. Phil was looking at him, with those bright blue eyes and that small, soft smile. He felt loved.

 

“I got it, Dan, don't worry. I actually agree with you. And I feel the need to correct my comment from earlier. This Christmas has now been made perfect, and it was thanks to you, Dan. This was the best Christmas I have ever had, and it's not even the 25th yet,” Phil nearly whispered, smiling. Dan smiled back, lifting Phil's hand which he was still holding and bringing it to his lips, kissing it.

 

Then, Dan looked up at their clock again, and saw that there were five minutes left until midnight. Suddenly, he had an idea.

 

“Hey Phil!”

 

“Yeah, love?”

 

“What if we make our own Christmas tradition right now?” Dan suggested, lifting his eyebrows. He was feeling very excited then.

 

Phil just smiled. “I'm in. What do you have in mind?”

 

“As there are five minutes left 'til midnight, I thought we could create this habit where, in every Christmas Eve, when the clock hits 11:55, we could use the last 5 minutes to make a wish for the Christmas ahead. Tell each other what we want it to be like. Succinctly, of course. We only have a few minutes, after all. What do you think?”

 

“Well,” Phil began, “I love your idea, but I think it could get better. At midnight, we kiss to seal it. What do you think?”

 

Dan grinned. “I love it. You first. What do you wish for the upcoming Christmas?”

 

Phil scooted closer to Dan, “Well, I hope that tomorrow will be a wonderful day, spent with your family. I want it to be peaceful and to be spent with those we love and who love us. With this, I mean that we greet every body but spent most of the time with your parents and your grandies. And if they are busy with someone else, we can spend time with each other. I mean, you have the excuse of being with your boyfriend, now. Let's make use of it,” Phil winked.

 

Dan felt himself get a bit emotional. He could not ask for a better companion than Phil. He understood him like no one else did, he was comprehensive, sensible, wise, intelligent, beautiful inside and out, sympathetic, empathetic, funny, sharp… Dan Howell decided then that he was the luckiest man in the world.

 

“What are you hoping for this Christmas, Dan?” Phil smiled warmly. Dan felt like hugging him.

 

“I hope that I get to spend it with you, because a Christmas with you is all I could ever ask for..,” he confessed, smiling. Phil eyes acquired a new shimmer then, emotion filling him. “And I also am hoping for good food. I mean, what's Christmas without good food?”

 

The couple laughed, Phil burying his face on Dan's shoulder. Dan enveloped Phil's torso in a hug, bringing him even closer. Phil adjusted his position so he could get a bit more comfortable. He placed a kiss on Dan's neck, who giggled.

 

Dan looked up at the clock once more, for the last time that night, and saw that it marked a minute past midnight.

 

“Hey, Phil, we are a minute late for the kiss,” he said, smiling. Phil giggled and lost no time obeying their new tradition.

 

A few moments later, they parted and put their fire off. They then went to the bedroom and laid down on the bed, falling asleep blissfully.

 

However, when the clock hit 4AM, Phil woke up. He saw Dan was fast asleep and that his hold on Phil was much weaker. Silently, Phil got up and went back to the lounge, sitting down on the sofa. In front of him was a camera. Dan's camera. He picked it up and rotated it in his hands, pondering whether he should do what he was planning to do. He figured he should.

 

Quickly, he set up the camera and cleared his throat. He pressed the record button and pointed the lens at himself, as if he were vlogging. A few seconds later, he began his speech.

 

“Hi guys! Well, if you are wondering why you are looking at someone who isn't Dan in a video on Dan's channel, don't worry. My name is Phil Lester and I am Dan's boyfriend. Today is the 25th of December, even though it's just 4AM. I woke up from my sleep quite early. Anyway, yesterday I spent the whole day with Dan to have a sort of 'private Christmas' with him, given tomorrow, I mean today, we'll be visiting his family, and we'll be visiting mine on Boxing Day. We're about to have two wonderful days in family, but we needed one in private. Any way, you must be wondering why I am making this video. Well, let's say this is a gift for Dan...”

 

Phil cleared his throat again, looked down to figure out the words he was about to say out loud in his head, and, when he looked back at the lens, he smiled. He was ready.

 

“Dan, yesterday was the best Christmas I have ever had with anyone, ever. And the week prior was the best run-up to Christmas I've ever had too. From decorating your apartment to baking cookies to having those gingerbread wars, all of it was committed to my memory and won a very special place in my heart. I could not have asked for a better companion for these past couple of days, even if you used to regard Christmas in quite a negative way. It's amazing how much your opinion changed in such a short amount of time, and if you say I was the one behind it, then I will gladly wear that badge.”

 

“You are the most wonderful, intelligent, gorgeous and special person in my life, and I thank God every day for having someone like you in my life. You make me whole, Dan. I am glad I am not walking around looking for my other half anymore. I found it. I found you,” he confessed. He paused then to snifle and to try and dry the tears in his eyes a little. It was in vain.

 

“I love you, Dan Howell. I never told you this before, and so didn't you, because we thought it was too early, but I love you, so, so much… I never felt this way with anyone else and I don't want it to stop, ever. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. From the moment I first saw you, in which my heart did that flippy-over thing, till today, and hopefully for evermore, I'll love you unconditionally...”

 

Phil cleared his throat again and dried his eyes with his hands.

 

“Merry Christmas, Dan. Here's too many, many more!”

 

Phil turned off the camera and set it back down on the table in front of him. He felt light, as if all the weight in the world had been lifted off of him. He had been meaning to tell Dan that he loved him for a while, but he never thought it was the appropriate time. Now that he finally did it, he wanted to scream out loud in joy. Technically, he hadn't said it yet as Dan had not heard it, but the intention was there.

 

A few moments later, he got up and got Dan's laptop from the floor. He quickly uploaded the video on YouTube with a simple description and made it public. He sat down there for a while, watching the number of views going up. Five minutes after uploading, he already had 90000 views on the video. Dan's audience really was dedicated.

 

Deciding he needed to rest a bit more, Phil turned off the laptop and turned off the lights. When he entered the hallway, he collided with a dark silhouette. He screamed, but the dark form laughed.

 

“Dan!” Phil reprimanded, slapping Dan on his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

 

“I woke up and I didn't feel you next to me. I figured you came here, so I decided to come too, and when I arrived, I heard the last few bits of your speech, so I decided to wait for you to notice me.”

 

“What did you hear?” Phil inquired, looking up at Dan with expectation.

 

“Oh, a few things. But the thing that really stood out was the part in which you said you loved me,” Dan replied, smirking. Phil gulped. A million thoughts were racing through his head, but the main one was 'why am I turning this in such a big deal?'.

 

“It stood out so much that I feel the need to reply and tell you what I feel too,” Dan continued casually. Phil was nervous.

 

“Oh, really? And what do you feel?” Phil's heart was drumming in his chest. That moment was being awful.

 

“I love you too. I too have never felt this way with any one else before. I don't know, there's just something about you… You are different from anyone else I know and you spark emotions in me which I didn't even know I could feel. You are the most important person in my life, and I hope you keep on occupying that place for a long time. Or, as you said, for evermore. So, yes, I love you too.”

 

Speechless, Phil just threw himself on Dan, hugging him. He wrapped his long legs around Dan's middle and they spun in the hallway. They giggled and went back to the bedroom, where they kissed passionately until they fell asleep again.

 

The next couple of days were marked by crowds, laughter, spilled food and drinks, yelling and public transport, but now that they had each other, Dan could not help but love the time he used to hate. And, for most of his life, Christmas became one of the times of the year he cherished the most, especially when Phil was by his side.

 

And this, my fellow readers, was the best Christmas they ever had together, simply because it was the one which opened the way for so many more they had afterwards. And this, my friends, is also one of the best conversion stories I have ever heard and told in my life.

 

Now, just to end this lovely time we had together, I invite you, my friend, to think for a while. To think about your own Christmases, if you celebrate it, and to wonder whether you lived them as well as you could have. I want you to think about ways you can spend this day the best you can and how you can try and accomplish that next year, or even today, if it's still Christmas for you.

 

And I want you to remember that, whether you want a big Christmas or a small Christmas, whether you are alone or with someone, think of this day, not as a day to give presents to others and to stuff yourself with food, but think of it as time to relax, to treat yourself, and to remember that no matter how shit the past year was, you should remember the good things which happened to you, no matter how small they were, because, as my own family says, “The only thing we take from our lives are our memories”. Make sure you appreciate yours.

 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys! 
> 
> Like promised, that was the sequel to "Bad Day's Power Play", "Season Greetings".
> 
> I unfortunately did not have as much time to write this as I had previously planned, as our Christmas celebration this year was a 'last minute' kind of thing, and there was a lot of cleaning, a lot gift buying and wrapping and a lot of prep work for today. I also only left on the 17th December, which is a lot later than most people I know, and I basically always had something to do up until the last minute. But it's Christmas now, this fic is up, and everybody is happy, I hope.
> 
> I did not write something as long as BDPP as you've probably noticed already, and I don't feel that it has the same quality. But, I was also trying out a different narration style, so that was probably it. That is something characteristic of this series. I decided I will be trying something different with every installment. And, I gotta say, I am really looking forward to writing the next one. I can only say it'll be very nostalgic.
> 
> Any way, I hope you enjoyed this fic! If you did, and you haven't read "Bad Day's Power Play", then I strongly recommend you go read that one. If you have read BDPP already, then I suggest you stay tuned, because the next installment will be published on the 31st December 2015. When the time comes, I will write a reminder on both this fic and BDPP, just so you don't miss it. :)
> 
> Thank you for your time and support, guys! <3 I am really grateful for everything.
> 
> \- Sofia


End file.
